Mater et Magistra: The role of the Church’s Magisterium in the development of social thought

Abstract

"The Church in each country, under the Pastoral guidance of the local bishops, has a continuing duty to apply the values of the gospel
to the problems of the society and so help all members of the Church, lay, religious and ordained to play an active part in striving to build a just and compassionate social order”.1 Here the duty of the Church is highlighted as that of guiding the faithful in matters of faith and morals in a society. “For more than a century the Catholics have analyzed the issues of life in society to propose fundamental principles, to define judgment criteria and suggest concrete guidelines”.2 This whole thought is called ‘Catholic Social Doctrine’. Several Popes have taken the lead in expounding Catholic Social Teaching by writing many documents called  Encyclical Letters. One such letter is the Mater et Magistra. This article seeks to discuss the role of the Magisterium in the development of the social thought, in light of Mater et Magistra